Free Demon Can’t Help It by Kathy Love Page A

waited for her annoyance.
    Instead she speared more of the salad, dripping with the delicious raspberry dressing. “Food is one of my favorite things.”
    She popped the lettuce, chicken, and dressing into her mouth and chewed with relish.
    He laughed.
    She smiled, mouth closed around her food, letting her eyes drift shut to show just how much she did indeed love to eat.
    Instantly Maksim’s mind alit with flashing images of her under him, her eyes shut, an orgasm making her arch and writhe against him. Legs splayed, wrapping around him.
    His laughter stopped, desire ripping through him with an intensity that was breath-stealing.
    Jo opened her eyes, her own amused expression fading as she met his gaze. He knew she saw the unrestrained longing there, but he couldn’t seem to temper it. The need was just too powerful.
    She swallowed, but didn’t break her gaze away from his. They stared at each other, him wanting her, her aware of that fact.
    Nothing in her expression gave away how she felt about his obvious desire. Not even a hint. Her face was placid, emotionless like a doll’s, waiting for him to react.
    Finally he did. He reached down to his lap for his napkin. Raspberry dressing glinted pink and shiny on her lower lip. He touched the corner of his napkin to the spot, wishing it was his mouth on her berry-flavored lips, instead of a stiff piece of fabric.
    At first she didn’t move, allowing the contact. Then his thumb strayed away from the napkin, stroking the soft curve of her bottom lip. At the touch of skin to skin, she jerked back, her chair squeaking on the flagstones at the abruptness of her movement.
    She pressed her own napkin to her mouth as if to blot out the brief, grazing caress.
    “Did I get it?” she asked, her voice frustratingly even and unemotional.
    And something inside Maksim snapped. He couldn’t handle her indifference any longer. Without a second thought, he entered her mind, ignoring the NO TRESPASSING sign, scaling the fence surrounding her thoughts and emotions.

Chapter 7
    J o’s head spun from Maksim’s slight touch, nothing more than a fleeting brush of his thumb against her lip. Probably accidental at that. Certainly nothing to warrant such a strong reaction, but she hadn’t been able to stop herself. She had to pull away. It made her think and want things she absolutely couldn’t.
    She tried to stay calm, to react normally, but as soon as she’d asked him if she’d gotten whatever was on her lips off, her head started spinning even more.
    Now she couldn’t seem to focus her eyes. The restaurant shifted and blurred around her like she was peering through a kaleidoscope. She braced her hand on the table to ground herself. But that didn’t seem to help.
    She closed her eyes, not daring to open them for several seconds. When she finally did, she saw Maksim watching her. His own face bleached of its natural healthy color as if he was feeling the same nauseating vertigo. Confusion clouded his peridot-green eyes. And he continued to study her as if she were a complete stranger unwelcome at his table.
    But instead of asking him what was wrong, she used the edge of the table to help herself stand. She didn’t understand his reaction, but she couldn’t focus on that.
    Nausea churned in her stomach, threatening to make her retch.
    “I need to use the restroom,” she mumbled, glancing around for a sign to point her in the right direction, finding it on the far side of the courtyard. She didn’t wait for Maksim’s response as she headed that way, weaving slightly.
    Once inside the ladies’ room, she leaned heavily on the bathroom door, pulling in a gulping breath to calm her roiling stomach. She remained that way for several seconds, then straightened again, using the wall to balance herself.
    Moving carefully, afraid another wave of nausea would hit her or she might jar her head more, which still felt muddled and heavy, almost as if she had somehow gotten a concussion, she made her